Tan, Amy Joy Luck Club Essays - Chinatown, San Francisco, Emotions

Tan, Amy Joy Luck Club In the novel "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan, the ignorance, the = disregard of, and the necessity of love are all introduced as the = characters tell their life stories and memories. The characters in "The = Joy Luck Club" take love for granted.=20 By ignoring love, concentrating more on material possessions, and = hiding their true identities, the characters don't realize loves = importance. One character that takes love for granted is Harold, Lena = St. Clair's husband. This occurs when Lena leans over to him in their = car and states "I love you." He responds by asking Lena a question about = his car, which seems to be more important to him than his relationship = with her. Harold does not realize the importance of love. He only thinks = about material possessions. By Harold not revealing his true nature, he = reveals that he has a lack of love for himself as an individual. The = love of yourself is a necessity in life because it provides = self-respect; if one respects oneself, one will respect and love others. = The story of Lindo Jong provides insight into the concept of revealing = your true nature. To "keep everything inside" as does Lindo Jong, = provides for not being able to experience love to its fullest. Lindo = Jong hides "under a red! marriage scarf" in attempt to shield herself from the outside world. By = hiding under the scarf, she demonstrates that to be able to love, you = must be able to first reveal your true nature. Ying-Ying St. Clair = stands as an example of the desire to remain hidden as she says, "All = these years I kept my true nature hidden, running along like a small = shadow so nobody could catch me." The image of the shadow relates = directly to the red marriage scarf. They both attempt to provide the = concealment of their true natures, because the result of revealing your = true self may be that of "pain". The importance of love goes unnoticed = as the characters take love for granted and expect it to naturally come = to them. The ceasing of taking love for granted does occur later and has = its results and consequences.=20 The characters realize that they are taking love for granted when they = feel meaningless and uncomfortable, and stop doing so by either ending = the relationship or confronting the problem. By not taking love for = granted and realizing "there's absolutely nothing left to save" in her = marriage, Rose Hsu Jordan recognizes that she must divorce her husband. = Rose Hsu Jordan does not feel comfortable with her life and feels that = she is living under false pretences. She comprehends that she is not = what she continually pretends to be. Therefore, she stops taking love = for granted and ignoring it, and instead moves on to a better, more = comfortable life with a feeling of being needed. Lindo Jong compares = love to a hill and as to heaven. This hill symbolizes the steps that she = must take to truly attain love and enter heaven, her comparison to = happiness and a comfortable lifestyle. Love proves hard to attain but = Lindo Jong learns to embrace it and accept it as best she can.=20 The "pained feeling" at the "beginning of love" provides insight into = the revelation of the true nature of the character. This pained feeling, = the lifting of the scarf or the shadow, opens the door to the true = nature of the character. This love provides better understanding and a = better love of your own character. It makes the people more comfortable = with themselves and makes them feel important, needed, and loved. =20

Love In Pain

Love In Pain Love Is PainWhen something goes away everything around you doesn't matter anymore. You don't care about anything. Everything around you is black and white. You're sitting in the corner of the dark room, full of memories about him. Memories that make you sad and make you want to cry. You think : "Here came the day that you have expected to come, the day of suffering, of pain and tears had come." And it seems that life ends for you in this very day. He is away and you do not know if he is ever going to come back. You don't know if he is going to look at you with his beautiful brown eyes, to hold you with his strong arms, to kiss you with his juicy lips. You look at one point and ask yourself what are you going to do from now on. Should you go on and fight with life or put an end of everything? You start losing the thread slowly.oh god, you devil . . .Are you suffering as much as I do? I don't know, but I want to see you, to hug you, to hold you in my arms, to feel that you are near me and never let you go. Why does it hurt so much? Every time I think about us, those days when we were together appear in my mind. They might not be so much but they meant something for me! Oh God, how I wish the things between me and him were different. I wish everything was like when we first met. You looked at me and I started to shiver. It was so nice. And now you look at me like a stranger and it's like you want to say: "I can't go on like this, everything is...

Discussion Board Post Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 31

Discussion Board Post Response - Essay Example One of the threats relating to your identified need is exposing patients and care providers to risks particularly in relation to toxicity due to overdose. Therefore, strategic planning in this case would help in effective planning of care processes and implementation of standardization strategies aimed at preventing negative outcomes linked with self medication in hospitals. Long queues in ERs is a major challenge in many healthcare organizations. In this regard, I agree that achievement of optimal waiting periods at the ER is an example of an unmet need. According to Dr. Carol Huston in the media, strategic planning involves analysis of both the internal and external environment in an effort to identify unmet needs (Laureate Education, 2013d). Your assertion that attending minor injuries and illnesses in the ER is costly and inefficient shows an existing problem that ought to be addressed. Forecasting is also an element of strategic planning. Your proposition that opening small urgent care centers around the county to reduce number of patient in the main ER is an illustration of strategic planning involving looking at the desired future of the organization (Laureate Education, 2013d). I also agree that involvement of clinical staff, board of directors, and the community as stakeholders is imperative for the achievement of the projected outcomes. Strubhar, A. J. (2011). The application of an environmental scanning and strategic planning framework in an academic department of physical therapy.Journal of Physical Therapy Education, 25(3),

Financial Reporting Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Financial Reporting - Case Study Example In a brief history of the cases, Enron, On October 16, 2001 Enron declared to SEC a net loss of $ 618 million for the third quarter effectively reducing share holder equity by $ 1.2 billion. SEC opened enquiry the very next day and called for details from Enron officials who in turn notified their Auditor Arthur Andersen. Pursuant to this, Andersen had his team destroy Enron-related documents. As a result, Enron, Andersen and his lead partner Duncan were convicted of obstruction of justice. Enron's Chief Financial officer faced indictment on 98 counts of fraud and related offences. Besides Enron is now bankrupt, and civil and criminal investigations continue to examine Enron's complex accounting practices and byzantine financial schemes. (Brickey) Close on the heels of Enron episode, WorldCom's fraud surfaced dwarfing the former. Both the cases involved accounting frauds with the companies managements' sole aim of keeping the share prices higher in spite of huge losses which they covered by manipulation of accounts. But for the whistle blowers from both the corporations, the frauds would not have come to light though bubble would have ultimately burst by the operation of economics. But more money would have been swindled, more would have fled the scene had it not been for the whistle blowers who had little protection prior to Sarbanes -Oxley enactment. Sherron Watkins, a Vice-President at Enron who discovered accounting fraud disclosed it to its Chairman Ken Lay in five memos detailing Enron's off-book partnerships, special purpose entities and urged him to disclose a ccounting irregularities. Though he agreed to engage a law firm to conduct preliminary investigation, he appointed the firm of Vinson & Elkins in spite of Watkins' advice not to engage them as they were also party to structure some of the questionable deals. And the law firm not surprisingly gave clean chit to the questioned transactions. Watkins preferred to depose before congressional hearings probing the Enron's affairs. Similarly Cynthia Cooper, Vice-President, Internal Auditing, WorldCom exposed a larger accounting in her corporation when she came to know of a sample fraudulent transfer of $ 400 million from Reserve account to inflate the corporation's earnings. Here again Arthur Anderson was the Auditor for the corporation. While he tried to convince her by insisting no abnormality, the CFO Scot Sullivan literally tried to silence her. (Ripley Amanda) She therefore independently conducted inspection of account books and found that the management had capitalised operating expen ditures and converted a $662 million loss into a fictitious $2.4 billion profit.CFO Sullivan learnt of her attempts to unearth such manipulations and warned of her dismissal if she did not stop. "After going to the audit committee, she and her audit team remained hopeful that they could find something they might have missed that would explain the unorthodox accounting. But Cooper's hopes were dashed when she confronted WorldCom Controller David Meyers, who conceded that the entries could not be justified. " (Brickey) The charges against Andersen were that he had knowledge of accounting irregularities at Enron, and fraud relating special purpose entities used by Enron, that he hired an out-side law firm in anticipation of

Proposal assignment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Proposal assignment - Research Paper Example Normally, employees in Genovia Technology Solutions do not live near the company. This calls for travelling every morning to the workplace. As a result of the distance, they usually consume a lot of fuel and money in order to be able to commute daily. Also, there is reduced flexibility due to the hustles and bustles of going to work in the morning and coming back late, and this inconveniences those people who have families. They cannot have quality time with their families. Telecommuting entails working from a location that can be regarded as remote, mostly from home. It entails the work arrangement where employees work without having to commute to the central workplace. This technology requires installation of telecommunication devices like a fax machine, internet and telephone. Also, the web conferencing capabilities allow employees to participate in all the business meetings. This project will entail installation of the telecommuting equipment, modem, phone, pager, and fax machine by Genovia Company, and the telecommuter should provide an office space which is free of distraction (Grensing-Pophal 25). The workers will be more productive; working at home will have few distractions because the company needs only to set up the production goals and what the workers should achieve by the end of the day. The company will reach the team members irrespective of the physical location; it is easier to reach members through the internet using collaboration software and other remote control apps. The company will conserve the office space and save money; the remote workers will be using their own water, electricity and other bills that the company would have paid. Reduced time in IT management and the equipment costs; apart from installation of security to check on the devices logging in to the company’s network, other expenses like the computer

Impact of Human Capital on Economic Development

Impact of Human Capital on Economic Development How human capital contributes to economic development? Introduction The education of a country plays a fundamental role in the development and economic growth since its beginnings in the scientific and intellectual revolution of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and then the age of enlightenment which corresponds to the eighteenth century where the idea of progress was transmitted, this philosophy comes from the last century. Human capital has been an issue that has caused controversy over its role in the Industrial Revolution. Most economists and economic historians have investigated how the human capital has a major impact on economic performance in a country. The main reason is that individuals invest in education, acquire skills and expertise. This means that everything that they have learned throughout their life is an investment in human capital which in turn seek an economic return. Education provides a high-income to the people and therefore to the economy of their country. It is essential to analyze the contribution of human capital in the economy. In the development of this essay we will explain two theories that are studied when analyzing education variable, these theories are the human capital theory and signaling theory. The question that comes to the mind is whether a high growth of general education generates high economic growth or vice versa? According to the theory and empirical evidence shows that education is leading a high level of economic growth, ie, that there is causality. There are different approaches to private and social returns to education but most empirical studies are based on private returns. The problems that arise in the measurement of education on economic growth of a country are omitted variables and reverse causality. Intellectual Origins of Modern Economic Growth In the sixteenth century the Baconian program diffused knowledge and natural philosophy was applied to solve problems with technology and get economic growth, in this century scientific advances were crucial for industrialization. While in the seventeenth century began the age of enlightenment where institutions encouraged and promoted knowledge and technological advancement, this process without the Industrial Revolution would not have had the same impact. After the the emergence of the countries in the Industrial Revolution some countries became members of the club convergence. Mokyr (2005) argues that the age of enlightenment produced a high level of technological progress. A great and interesting question that we discuss always is why not everyone is developed? According to history, economic growth has been dependent on the diffusion of knowledge. Since the Second World War is a phenomenon the growth of education in almost all countries. David Landes says that The heart of any process of industrialization and economic development is the intellectual. It is important to point out that the technology transfer can be considered as an educational process. Learning certainly depends on the priority to be given to education. Therefore, public policy should address strategies to improve the education system in a country. When laws are proposed to develop a quality educational system we seek the effect of education on economic growth or vice versa? According to the theory, economic growth is a cause of educational growth, but it has also happened independently. Effects of human capital in the economy and its relationship with other variables We ask ourselves whether the expansion of quality education contributes to the development and growth of a country or region? Bjorkland A. and Lindahl M. (2005) argue that the contribution of education to economic development is overestimated and that social returns are not as great as the individual returns (per capita), while others say that the individual returns are larger than social. The main reason is that the contribution of education to the production of the society is lower than the effects of individual income or per capita. There are contradictory arguments about the role of human capital on the development and economic growth, for example, that neither had a big impact nor was the cause of the Industrial Revolution. Baten and Zanden J. L. argue that countries with low human capital had no effect on the Industrial Revolution while countries with better conditions reached the level of Great Britain and other countries surpassed it. Before the seventeenth century, the formation of human capital had a positive impact. The great divergence occurred in the period 1800-1913 where countries with high levels of human capital participated in the Industrial Revolution while less developed countries had no impact. Traditional research has shown that human capital is directly related to individual earnings and aggregate economic growth rate of countries. The problem arises when the amount of education is a premature measure of human capital, especially when the level of human capital between countries is compared. Many of the empirical evidence on human capital until 1990 was based on the amount of education such as the number of years of education. There are discrepancies when data is used for comparisons between countries, it is more reliable to use data of regions within a country (Bjorklund A. Lindahl and M, 2005). The problems of such studies are data limitations that make it difficult to find comparable results across countries. For example if someone might think that a year of education in Ecuador is as productive as one year in Sweden. The person in mention would have to assume that the quality of the education system is identical in the two countries. This causes a problem in the estimation of the allocation of education on economic growth because information is omitted, which in turn generates biased and inconsistent estimates. This could have a negative impact to the educational policies of the countries. For the above reasons, it is necessary to incorporate the quality of education in order to have more reliable results using standardized data of math and science rather than years of schooling data. This variable allows us to consider aspects that are omitted in the measures of amount of education that are often used as proxy for human capital. This means that it is better to use quality indicators that quantity indicators of human capital. According to researchers, when education is measured by quality indicators that reflect the skills and abilities acquired in the work, is what really matters when the economic growth and development is analyzed. In the field of politics, this makes that educational policies be produced, focusing on improving educational attainment and teaching skills and technical knowledge. In addition to, the importance to identify the educational reforms that will need to be undertaken in order to be effective, so that will result in a widespread economic growth. Besides the problems of measures of skill, underestimation of income and consumption and heterogeneity of educational systems, the main topic of discussion among researchers is the inclusion of unobservable factors such as innate ability in the wage equation. Therefore, in order to determine the income of individuals is necessary to know their productivity levels, and assume that these depend only on the years of training and experience, but it is not fully adjusted to the reality. There is causality between education and economic growth? According to studies of comparisons among countries, it has its limitation in the database and we cannot know with certainty whether more education leads to an increase of the GDP or a high GDP causes an increase in the demand of education in the society. A high level of education increases innovation and therefore to a higher economic growth. . One of the main factors that causes an increase in the childrens education is the education of parents. In turn, there is a relationship between education and other variables such as health, life expectancy, crime and political participation. Bjorklund and Lindahl (2005) conclude that there are no external effects that have a great impact on education: on the other hand, they argue that there is empirical evidence demonstrating that education leads to an improvement on health, increases the life expectancy of people, has greater political participation, reduces the crime rate and that children of educated people become more productive. These authors argue that education may not be a variable that has a great impact on the economic development of a country and that the measure of GDP is too small to capture the full effects. Additionally, when analyzing variations among countries and regions is difficult to capture all the positive effects. Is education a sign? Human Capital Theory and Signaling Theory To know whether education is a sign, we should know about the human capital and signaling theories. These theories explain the human capital and inequality of wages earned by people. With Human Capital Theory wages through education and experience are determined. While signaling theory presents that people are educated to provide signals to employers according to their skills but it is not considered the education as a mechanism that generates stock of human capital. The implications of these two theories is the productivity of individuals and the social costs of education. Most authors agree that education generates increases in the productive capacity of individuals and also provide their information to entrepreneurs through signals concerning to education Wage differences are also differences in productivity? There is a causal effect that is used to differentiate between a low and a high educated workforce, Morette (2004). Entrepreneurs rely on indexes and individual signals to determine the marginal productivity of the individual and thus assign them a salary that matches the expectations from that information. According to the idea of signaling, individuals can create their chances of wages and job through education, due to the fact that they acquire signals that make them more attractive in the labor market. From the point of view of workers, since they perceive the possibility to increase profits through the information of their own abilities, they will try to increase the resources earmarked to acquire this information, Stiglitz (1975). Human capital theories have been developed to give an explanation of the formation of wages. Despite the limitations that still exist in the database, the continuous effort to include relevant variables in human capital investigations has allowed to confirm the initial hypothesis of human capital of Becker and Mincer. The assumptions of this theory are questioned when Spence proposes that education is used by individuals as signals that provide information about the skills of individuals. Both theories maintain that the effects that education has on earnings of life cycle are positive. While human capital theory argues that wage determinants are education and experience that enable to the individual to acquire the skills to do a job , the signaling hypothesis of authors like Arrow, Spence and Stiglitz raises education as a process providing labels to workers to present these labels to employers in the selection process , but not a process that increase the real productivity of individuals. In this difference in the implications of teaching on individual productivity of each of the two theories we find the interest in knowing about the theory that explains the formation of wages in labor markets. In the event that the signaling hypothesis is confirm, individuals would go to educate themselves for the sole purpose of obtaining signals to provide to employers, in this case they are not developing their skills to be more productive, and they do not generate stock of hum an capital. In contrast, the predictions of the theory of human capital imply that education is still profitable for individuals and for society probably. Los estudios tratan de discriminar entre las dos teorà ­as y asà ­ conocer la relevancia de las polà ­ticas educativas sobre la economà ­a, aunque descartar cualquiera de las dos limita la respuesta de conocer los elementos que determinan los salarios. Se han desarrollado en los à ºltimos aà ±os modelos que muestran que la educacià ³n sigue resultando una inversià ³n rentable para los individuos y para la sociedad y, a la vez, que los empleadores la toman como una informacià ³n disponible acerca de la habilidad de los individuos. Studies attempting to discriminate between the two theories and to know the importance of education policies on the economy, but discard any of the two theories, limits the response to know the elements that determine wages. It has been developed in recent years models showing that education is proving a profitable investment for individuals and for society and, at the same time, that employers take it as information available about the ability of individuals. Social and private returns to education The social return to education is broader and has its effect on the public budget. Finally, different authors have used different approaches to the analysis of the returns to education through private and social rates, average or marginal rates, depending on the purpose of the study. According to Psacharopoulos G. (1985) the returns are higher when primary education in a country is analyzed and private rates increase after the secondary level. He argues that private returns exceed social returns because public education is subsidized by the government. Returns to private education include all the benefits and costs incurred by an individual, while the social discount rate includes supported by institutions, in addition to the taxes associated with education. Studies tend to focus on the analysis of private returns to education, regardless of social profitability. Very few investigations have been done about the impact that has the public financing in the decision of individuals or the social impact of subsidies on education. The returns to education are overestimated when based on the income of workers in all sectors. There is overinvestment in all levels of education. Problems in measuring education Two problems are presented. When data of education and income at aggregate level is used, the estimations are larger due to external effects while when individual or per capita income estimates are used, the estimations are smaller. For the above reasons, there exist a presence of Reverse Causality, ie that rich countries invest heavily in education and has compulsory education while in other countries, individuals choose to educate themselves. The other problem is the omission of variables when making estimations of the effect of education on economic growth. In these cases high estimates for the omitted variables and reverse causality are produced. When measuring the impact of education on economic growth is very different when the level of GDP or the GDP growth is used, this latter variable measures the expected effect of growth on the level of education. Because problems arise when taking into account data from countries Krueger and Lindahl (2001) recommend using data between regions of a country. In addition to education, there are other factors that affect education and economic growth of a country, such as the level of capital-intensive and technology development. FINAL REMARKS The Scientific Revolution and the Age of Enlightenment had a great importance in the process of industrialization due to technological progress and knowledge and thus on economic growth of countries. In the nineteenth century, there was the Great Divergence where countries with high level of education had a great impact on the Industrial Revolution while countries with low human capital had no effect. Cuando se realizan las mediciones de la educacià ³n y su efecto en el crecimiento de la economà ­a se presentan dos problemas de estimacià ³n que es la omisià ³n de variables y el reverse causality. Hay que utilizar datos de buena calidad y todas las variables necesarias para que sea una estimacià ³n consistente. Es recomendable realizar el anà ¡lisis en base a un mismo paà ­s porque si se realizan comparaciones entre paà ­ses los datos tienen sus limitaciones. When measurements of education and its effect on the growth of the economy are performed, we find two estimation problems that are the omission of variables and reverse causality. It is important to use good quality data and also the most important variables in order to have consistent estimators. It is recommended that the analysis is based inside a country because if comparisons are made among countries, data have a lot of limitations. It is true that a high level of education generates high economic growth, but there is also evidence that progress occurs independently. If the population reaches a high achievement in the education level, the productivity in the economy will improve, achieving a high growth economy. Wage differentials reflect a greater productive value of human capital which is a component contributing to national production. Another effect on schooling as a result of good health positively affects education. Similar effects which would be obtained with increased productivity and growth. Education has an impact with the reduced growing in the population, meaning that much of the population reduces birth rates. The birth number of children affects the physical ability to work for women and their productivity. This is very approximate to the effect of the health variable. Education does not have a large effect on the agricultural sector because technology affects this sector. Education affects the labor market because it makes more people involved, increase the number of trained people and grow at a high rate of labor force participation. When an education policy aimed at improving the level of income distribution is implemented should consider the groups that will be affected, then the results may be different depending on the treatment group and the affected group. For developing economies is difficult to give an indication of the impact of education on productivity and growth but will be even more difficult in low-income countries. Given the inefficient and non-transparent political and economic systems of many of these countries the returns to private education are met through non-productive activities. This means that in order to increase the relevance of education to economic growth is necessary to undertake a restructuring of the political and economic framework. BIBLIOGRAPHY Baten J. Zanden J.L . â€Å"Book Production and the Onset of Modern Economic Growth†, Barcelona. Bjorklund A Lindahl M. (2005), â€Å"Education and Economic Developmrent. What does empirical show about causal relationships?†. Institution for Social Research Easterlin R. (1981), â€Å" Why Isn ´t the Whole World Development?†. Journal of Economic History, Vol.41, No. 1, pp. 1-19. Mokyr J. (2005), â€Å"The Intellectual Origins of Modern Economic Growth†. Journal of Economic History, Vol. 65, No. 2. Psacharopoulos G. (1985), â€Å" Returns to Education: A Further International Update and Implications†. Journal of Human Resources, Vol. 20, No. 4. Sianesi B y Van Reenen (2003), â€Å" The Returns to Education: Macroeconomics†. Journal of Economic Surveys, Vol.17, No. 2.

A Farewell to Arms Essay: Changing Perspective of Religion

Changing Perspective of Religion in A Farewell to Arms In Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms, the main character, Lieutenant Fredric Henry, undergoes a dramatic change in perspective over the course of the novel. It is most interesting to see how the Lieutenant's views on religion change as he becomes more involved in the war. Â   Early in the novel, we are introduced to the Abruzzi. The Abruzzi is a town in Switzerland, of which Henry's friend, the priest, is very fond. His father lives there and it is, for the priest, a place of quiet solitude, religious freedom, and respect. He longs for the day when he can go and do God's work in his hometown: "in my country, it is understood that a man may love God. It is not a dirty joke"(Hemingway 71). Â  The priest offers Henry a chance to go to the Abruzzi and rest with his father. Henry declines, and instead decides to go to a whorehouse. At their next meeting though, Henry feels remorse about this decision. "I myself felt as badly as he did and could not understand why I had not gone. It was what I had wanted to do...and I ex...

Mit Case Study

BCG – Join BCG – Interview Prep – Practice Cases – Distribution†¦ http://www. bcg. com/join_bcg/interview_prep/practice_cases/dis†¦ The Boston Consulting Group Home > Join BCG > Interview Prep > Practice Cases > Distribution Strategy Distribution Strategy Crafting a Distribution Strategy for a Sugar Cereal Manufacturer Your client is the sugar cereal division of Foods Inc. , a U. S. -based distributor and manufacturer of packaged foods. According to the division president, Foods Inc. ‘s traditional strength has been with grocery stores, which still account for the majority of its $1. billion in sugar cereal sales. But Big M Mart, a discount chain, has been growing at a healthy rate of almost 15 percent per year and has now become Food Inc. ‘s largest customer. Your client is not sure how to react, and has asked BCG for assistance with its distribution strategy. Establish Understanding of the Case First, let me make sure I understand t he problem. Our client specializes in sugar cereals traditionally distributed through grocery stores. Sales to Big M Mart, a discount chain, have been growing at 15 percent per year, and the chain has recently become the largest distributor of the client's product nationwide.We are here to help evaluate the distribution strategy in light of Big M Mart's growth. That is correct. Could you explain to me how grocery stores differ from discount stores? Sure. Grocery stores generally specialize in food, as well as selling some household goods and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals. Discount stores, on the other hand, offer food alongside a wide variety of merchandise, including clothing, home electronics, and housewares. Does Big M Mart market its food products differently than do grocery stores? Discount stores advertise lower prices for a wide variety of foods, particularly staple, nonperishable foods.Could I take a moment to write a few notes to myself? Please feel free. Set Up the Fram ework Before making recommendations, I think we would need to evaluate whether sales growth at Big M Mart is good or bad for Foods, Inc. To do that, I would first look at how its sugar cereal performance at Big M Mart compares with that in other distribution channels. Second, I would look at its performance at Big M Mart in relation to competitors' performance. Next, I would determine what drives customer purchases. Finally, I would want to understand the supply chain.That certainly sounds like a reasonable approach. Let's proceed. Evaluate the Case Using the Framework 1 of 6 10/2/09 6:57 PM BCG – Join BCG – Interview Prep – Practice Cases – Distribution†¦ http://www. bcg. com/join_bcg/interview_prep/practice_cases/dis†¦ First, I would like to get a better sense of where Big M Mart stands in relation to our client's other distribution channels by examining the client's sales data and margins, by distributor. The marketing department does not hav e margins by channel, but tracks sales and volume for its top five distributors.What does this imply about Big M Mart as a distribution outlet? It looks as if the top distributors have been growing more important, but particularly Big M Mart, which is growing faster than all the others. This is particularly true when we look at volume, where Big M Mart's growth is much higher than that of the other four channels. And how could you interpret what these data says about margins? While the client's sales through other distribution channels are growing faster than volume, Big M Mart volume and sales growth are the same, so the average price paid by Big M Mart has remained constant.That implies that sales growth at Big M Mart could have negative implications for our client's margins. Next, I would like to look at how our client is doing in relation to the competition within Big M Mart. Have they been gaining or losing market share? How might you find that out? I would try to interview Big M Mart's purchasing personnel, since they would probably track those data for their own purposes. Why would they want to talk to you? How might you approach such an interview? I would approach the purchasing personnel and suggest that our client and Big M Mart work ogether to identify best practices to reduce costs and increase sales of sugar cereals at Big M Mart. Let's say in a perfect world you could get a breakdown of Big M Mart sales for the four largest competitors (see market shares below). 2 of 6 10/2/09 6:57 PM BCG – Join BCG – Interview Prep – Practice Cases – Distribution†¦ http://www. bcg. com/join_bcg/interview_prep/practice_cases/dis†¦ What can we infer about our client's competitors within this channel? Who should they be worried about? It looks like our client is losing market share, as is Tasty Breakfast, while Cereal Co. nd Private Label are gaining share. Private Label, however, looks to be growing from a very small base. I w ould like to explore why our client is losing market share to Cereal Co. at Big M Marts. Are their prices better than those of our client? After a period of price wars six to seven years ago that lowered industry margins, the cereal companies have refrained from price competition within the same channel. If prices are not driving the difference, I would look at other factors such as brand selection, percentage of shelf space, product placement, and in-store promotions.Visits to Big M Marts indicate that each name-brand company holds 30 percent of the shelf space, while private label has 10 percent. Cereal Co. brands, however, tend to be placed lower on the shelf than your client's products. Well, I suspect that children are a large target market for the sugar cereal manufacturers. The lower shelf placement could be especially important to children who are looking at the different types of cereals. Are there any other promotions? Some Cereal Co. brands have sales promotion tags, and the team notes that store flyers advertise specials on Cereal Co. rands for Big M Mart customer cardholders. So, even if all the companies are maintaining product prices, maybe Cereal Co. is strategically discounting prices to gain market share. It seems as if there is evidence of cooperation between Cereal Co. and Big M Mart. Do we know anything about their relationship? During earlier discussions with Big M Mart, you discovered that your client's competitors have 50 sales representatives dedicated to the Big M Mart account. Your client has seven. Cereal Co. appears to be dedicating more resources to its relationship with Big M Mart than our client is.This may explain its better product placement and promotion programs. 3 of 6 10/2/09 6:57 PM BCG – Join BCG – Interview Prep – Practice Cases – Distribution†¦ http://www. bcg. com/join_bcg/interview_prep/practice_cases/dis†¦ I think I have a good sense of distribution and competition. I would now like to look at the customers and understand why they select the products they do. One hypothesis I have is that shifting brand loyalties are hurting our client's market share at Big M Mart. That's interesting. What do you think might motivate purchases of sugar cereals?There are lots of factors, such as the games in the boxes, the price of the cereal itself, how it tastes. To better understand consumer behavior, we might conduct market research, possibly through focus groups, customer observation, and price sensitivity studies. BCG teams often do such research. Let's assume your team conducts some analysis. Your research concludes that most buyers tend to fall into two categories. Approximately 60 percent of buyers go straight to one cereal and grab it. We can call this group the â€Å"brand-loyal† shoppers.Another 40 percent of shoppers look at all the cereals and then select one that interests them. Let's call this group the â€Å"impulse† buyers. For the brand-loya l shopper, the priority would be product availability, while product placement would be important for consumers who like to shop around. Within these groups, are consumers price sensitive such that one brand can lure shoppers loyal to another brand? In general, your research indicates that consumers are not price sensitive and are extremely loyal to their preferred brand.But when the preferred cereal is unavailable, the brand-loyal customers will purchase discounted cereals approximately 35 percent of the time. Well, from that information, it appears that price is not a major driver of purchases unless the preferred cereal is out of stock. In these stock-out situations, you said, brand-loyal customers will purchase discounted cereals 35 percent of the time. What happens when the customer does not purchase a discounted cereal? In approximately 25 percent of cases, the customer walks away without purchasing any cereal at all.In the remaining 40 percent of cases, the brand-loyal custom er will act like an impulse shopper and select another brand. Interesting. It seems as if product availability could be a major driver of total cereal volume for Big M Mart. Of course, we would need to know how often stock-outs occur that cause consumers to walk away without purchasing cereal occur. Since I have a pretty good understanding of customer motivation, I'd now like to ask a few questions about the client's supply chain. I would want to talk to our client's distribution personnel to understand the distribution process and to determine how often stock-outs occur.Can you describe how our client's cereal is distributed at Big M Mart? Cereals are distributed from the factory to the distributor's warehouse twice monthly. The retailer then stocks the shelves itself. Do we have any knowledge about when the individual stores are out of stock? No, we do not, since our client only delivers to the warehouses and has no direct access to in-store inventory information. Since we identif ied product availability as a key success factor earlier on, I would want to make sure that the stores were stocking the product correctly.Let's say that in your earlier in-store investigations, you found out that Big M Mart stores averaged 15 percent of sugar cereal brands out-of-stock, across all brands. 4 of 6 10/2/09 6:57 PM BCG – Join BCG – Interview Prep – Practice Cases – Distribution†¦ http://www. bcg. com/join_bcg/interview_prep/practice_cases/dis†¦ Stock-outs would be a major problem for our client, since 60 percent of customers look for a specific brand of cereal and 35 percent of them would buy a discounted brand in a stock-out situation.Big M Mart would also have an incentive to reduce out-of-stock incidents, since 25 percent of the time, a brand-loyal customer will walk away without buying anything. Summarize and make recommendations Big M Mart is our client's leading customer, accounting for more than 20 percent of our client's su gar cereal revenue. Although sales to Big M Mart are increasing on an absolute basis, our client's margins there are lower than in its other channels and its competitive position is eroding in that channel. At Big M Mart, our client faces competition from both private label and Cereal Co. although the latter appears to be the greater threat. There appears to be a relationship between Big M Mart and Cereal Co. as evidenced by their joint promotions, the superior placement of the Cereal Co. product, and the substantial resources that Cereal Co. has dedicated to the Big M Mart account. We learned that 60 percent of customers are brand-loyal, implying product availability is most important. However, 40 percent like to try different kinds of cereal, indicating product placement is also important.Purchasers do not appear to be price conscious, unless the type of cereal they are looking for is out of stock, in which case there is a stronger tendency to base purchases on price promotions. I n terms of distribution, our client is making deliveries twice a month to Big M Mart's warehouses. Big M Mart, in turn, is responsible for stocking the shelves. We currently have no direct knowledge of when our client's items are out of stock at the individual stores, but there is evidence that stock-outs do occur with some frequency. Well, it sounds as if you understand the situation. What would you recommend the client do?The sales through Big M Mart appear to have a negative impact on the bottom line, as they have lower margins than sales through grocery stores. The client could work with grocery stores to ensure that they are able to compete effectively with Big M Mart in the sugar cereal market. This strategy could be risky, however, since Big M Mart is a large and important customer. Therefore, I would recommend that our client work more collaboratively with Big M Mart. To defend its current position at Big M Mart stores, the client should move toward a partnership with Big M Mart and dedicate more resources to the relationship.The customer and competitor data indicate that our client's first priority should be to improve distribution to ensure better product availability. In addition, it should push for product placement equal to, if not better than, that of its competitors. Why would Big M Mart be willing to enter into a partnership with Foods Inc? Foods Inc could offer to share its information about customer behavior to help increase revenues for both itself and Big M Mart. Stock-outs hurt Big M Mart in two ways. First, some brand-loyal customers simply walk away without purchasing cereal whenever their preferred brand is unavailable.Second, we know that other brand-loyal customers purchase lower-priced cereal whenever they encounter a stock-out of their preferred brand. Both of these instances lower Big M Mart's revenue. By eliminating stock-outs, Big M Mart could increase its sales by simply ensuring that customers don't walk away without making a p urchase. Converting these purchase occasions to sales would increase Big M Mart's sales of sugar cereals by more than 2 percent(1). Better availability also helps Big M Mart and our client increase their revenue by deterring the brand-loyal shoppers from trading down to lower-priced cereals.Recall that 35 percent of the brand-loyal shoppers purchase a discounted cereal if their preferred brand is not available. If improved distribution now makes the preferred brands more consistently available, the customers will pay a higher price for these products. Finally, we could use the information about consumer purchase behavior to help persuade Big M Mart to 5 of 6 10/2/09 6:57 PM BCG – Join BCG – Interview Prep – Practice Cases – Distribution†¦ http://www. bcg. com/join_bcg/interview_prep/practice_cases/dis†¦ share information about product availability in its individual stores.We could work with our client and Big M Mart to improve the current distri bution system to allow for more economical deliveries, while at the same time ensuring that our client's product is consistently available in the store. Thank you. Those sound like solid recommendations, but I would suggest that you fully understand the root cause of the stock-out situations and the cost to eliminate them before moving ahead. (1) 15 percent out of stock x 60 percent brand-loyal customers x 25 percent willing to forgo purchase = 2. 25 percent 6 of 6 10/2/09 6:57 PM

Biography of Atahualpa, Last King of the Inca

Biography of Atahualpa, Last King of the Inca Atahualpa was the last of the native lords of the mighty Inca Empire, which spanned parts of present-day Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Colombia. He had just defeated his brother Huascar in a violent civil war when Spanish conquistadors led by Francisco Pizarro arrived in the Andes mountains. The unlucky Atahualpa was quickly captured by the Spanish and held for ransom. Although his ransom was paid, the Spanish killed him anyway, clearing the way for the plunder of the Andes. Fast Fact: Atahualpa Known For: Last indigenous king of the Incan EmpireAlso Known As:  Atahuallpa, Atawallpa, and Ata WallpaBorn: c. 1500 in CuzcoParents: Wayna Qhapaq; mother believed to be either Tocto Ocllo Coca,Paccha Duchicela, or Tà ºpac PallaDied: July 15, 1533 in CajamarcaNotable Quote: Your emperor may be a great prince; I do not doubt it, seeing that he has sent his subjects so far across the waters; and I am willing to treat him as a brother. As for your pope of whom you speak, he must be mad to speak of giving away countries that do not belong to him. As for my faith, I will not change it. Your own God, as you tell me, was put to death by the very men He created. But my God still looks down on His children. Early Life In the Incan Empire, the word â€Å"Inca† meant â€Å"king† and generally only referred to one man: the ruler of the Empire. Atahualpa was one of many sons of Inca Huayna Capac, an efficient and ambitious ruler. The Incas could only marry their sisters: no one else was deemed noble enough. They had many concubines, however, and their offspring (Atahualpa included) were considered eligible for rule. Rulership of the Inca did not necessarily pass to the eldest son first, as was the European tradition. Any one of Huayna Capac’s sons would be acceptable. Often, civil wars broke out between brothers for succession. Huayna Capac died in 1526 or 1527, possibly of a European infection such as smallpox. His heir apparent Ninan Cuyuchi died as well. The Empire immediately split, as Atahualpa ruled the northern part from Quito and his brother Huascar ruled the southern part from Cuzco. A bitter civil war ensued and raged until Huascar was captured by Atahualpa’s forces in 1532. Although Huascar had been captured, regional mistrust was still high and the population was clearly divided. Neither faction knew that a far greater menace was approaching from the coast. The Spanish Francisco Pizarro was a seasoned campaigner who had been inspired by Hernn Cortà ©s audacious (and lucrative) conquest of Mexico. In 1532, with a troop of 160 Spaniards, Pizarro set off along the western coast of South America in search of a similar empire to conquer and plunder. The troop included four of Pizarros brothers. Diego de Almagro was also involved  and would arrive with reinforcements after Atahualpas capture. The Spanish had an enormous advantage over the Andeans with their horses, armor, and weapons. They had some interpreters that had been previously captured from a trading vessel. Capture of Atahualpa The Spanish were immensely fortunate in that Atahualpa happened to be at Cajamarca, one of the closest major cities to the coast where they had disembarked. Atahualpa had just received word that Huascar had been captured and was celebrating with one of his armies. He had heard of the foreigners coming and felt that he had little to fear from fewer than 200 strangers. The Spanish hid their horsemen in the buildings around the main square at Cajamarca, and when the Inca arrived to converse with Pizarro, they rode out, slaughtering hundreds and capturing Atahualpa. No Spanish were killed. Ransom With Atahualpa held captive, the Empire was paralyzed. Atahualpa had excellent generals, but none dared try to free him. Atahualpa was very intelligent and soon learned of the Spanish love for gold and silver. He offered to fill a large room half full with gold  and full twice over with silver for his release. The Spanish quickly agreed and the gold began flowing in from all corners of the Andes. Most of it was in the form of priceless art and it was all melted down, resulting in an incalculable cultural loss. Some of the greedy conquistadors took to breaking up golden items so that the room would take longer to fill. Personal Life Before the arrival of the Spanish, Atahualpa had proven to be ruthless in his ascent to power. He ordered the death of his brother Huascar and several other family members who blocked his way to the throne. The Spanish who were Atahualpa’s captors for several months found him to be brave, intelligent, and witty. He accepted his imprisonment stoically and continued to rule his people while captive. He had small children in Quito by some of his concubines, and he was evidently quite attached to them. When the Spanish decided to execute Atahualpa, some were reluctant to do so because they had grown fond of him. Atahualpa and the Spanish Although Atahualpa may have been friendly with some individual Spaniards such as Francisco Pizarro’s brother Hernando, he wanted them out of his kingdom. He told his people not to attempt a rescue, believing that the Spanish would leave once they had received their ransom. As for the Spanish, they knew their prisoner was the only thing keeping one of Atahualpa’s armies from crashing down on them. Atahualpa had three important generals, each of whom commanded an army: Chalcuchima in Jauja, Quisquis in Cuzco, and Rumià ±ahui in Quito. Death General Chalcuchima allowed himself to be lured to Cajamarca and captured, but the other two remained threats to Pizarro and his men. In July 1533, they began hearing rumors that Rumià ±ahui was approaching with a mighty army, summoned by the captive Emperor to wipe out the intruders. Pizarro and his men panicked. Accusing Atahualpa of treachery they sentenced him to burn at the stake, although he was eventually garrotted. Atahualpa died on July 26, 1533, in Cajamarca. Rumià ±ahuis army never came: the rumors had been false. Legacy With Atahualpa dead, the Spanish quickly elevated his brother Tupac Huallpa to the throne. Although Tupac Huallpa soon died of smallpox, he was one of a string of puppet Incas who allowed the Spanish to control the nation. When Atahualpa’s nephew Tà ºpac Amaru was killed in 1572, the royal Inca line died with him, ending forever any hope for native rule in the Andes. The successful conquest of the Inca Empire by the Spanish was largely due to unbelievable luck and several key mistakes by the Andeans. Had the Spanish arrived a year or two later, the ambitious Atahualpa would have consolidated his power and may have taken the threat of the Spanish more seriously and not allowed himself to be captured so easily. The residual hatred by the people of Cuzco for Atahualpa after the civil war certainly played a part in his downfall as well. After Atahualpa’s death, some people back in Spain began asking uncomfortable questions about whether Pizarro had the right to invade Peru and capture Atahualpa, considering Atahualpa had never harmed him. These questions were eventually solved by declaring that Atahualpa, who was younger than his brother Huscar with whom he had been warring, had usurped the throne. Therefore, it was reasoned, he was fair game. This argument was very weak- the Inca did not care who was older, any son of Huayna Capac could have been king- but it sufficed. By 1572, there was a complete smear campaign in place against Atahualpa, who was called a cruel tyrant and worse. The Spanish, it was argued, had â€Å"saved† the Andean people from this â€Å"demon.† Atahualpa today is seen as a tragic figure, a victim of Spanish ruthlessness and duplicity. This is an accurate assessment of his life. The Spanish not only brought horses and guns to the fight, but they also brought insatiable greed and violence that were just as instrumental in their conquest. He is still remembered in parts of his old Empire, particularly in Quito, where you can take in a soccer game at the Atahualpa Olympic Stadium. Sources Hemming, John. The Conquest of the Inca London: Pan Books, 2004 (original 1970).Herring, Hubert. A History of Latin America From the Beginnings to the Present. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1962.

A Perfect Day for Bananafish essays

A Perfect Day for Bananafish essays Comparison Between A Perfect Day for Bananafish and For Esme With Love and Squalor J D Salinger wrote Nine Stories with the same brilliance as Catcher In The Rye. His style is so unique and complex that all of his short stories are truly enjoyable. Two of those stories are A Perfect Day for Bananafish and For Esme With Love and Squalor. The main characters in both of these stories, Seymour and Sergeant X, have served in World War II, and the fighting has taken its toll on them. Their physiological well-being was sacrificed and as a result they are no longer the same people they were before. Both feel alienated from the people in their life, the same people they had loved before the war. The isolation the war has caused is carried over into their lives, and it caused these men to search for new forms of comfort and security, in the respective forms of Sybil and Esme. In A Perfect Day for Bananafish, Muriel and her husband Seymour have different perspectives of life. Muriel is a carefree and complacent person, while her husband is quite strange and slightly paranoid. His paranoia is illustrated when he looses it in the hotel elevator, I have two normal feet and I cant see the slightest God-damned reason anyone should stare at them. Muriel, however, is unacquainted with Seymours wild breakdowns. She is rather confident that Seymour is perfectly sane as she reports to her mother on the telephone. Muriel doesnt know about this side of Seymour because he has become alienated from her after the war. Their personalities dont match anymore, if they ever did, and he is seeking some sort of understanding that he knows Muriel cannot provide. Seymours relationship with Sybil is making up for Muriels shortcomings. Seymour is looking for the understanding of a child and the love of an adult. He wants someone who will not judge him. He realizes the impossibil ity of his desires with Sybil when he ge...

ASSIGNMENTbiologychemical and cellular foundations of life Essay

ASSIGNMENTbiologychemical and cellular foundations of life - Essay Example , thus "passive" whereas in In active transport it is possible to go against the concentration gradient and an external source of energy like ATP is required to move the carrier and its materials thus, "active" 3a i A. Connective tissue B. Ciliated epithelium C. Columnar epithelium ii A. Connective tissue joints bone with muscles B. Ciliated epithelium forms lining of the respiratory systems C. Columnar epithelium forms lining of the digestive track. B i and ii The primary function of Connective tissues is to connect and join different organs. Ciliated epithelium tissue has cilia which helps cleaning the surface and restrict settlement of microorganism on to the surface. Columnar epithelium having a appendages called microvilli which helps in smooth movement of food particles in intestine. 4.a. Ribbon shape structure. b. It is a linear chain of amino acids. C.i. X- beta sheets Y-alpha helix ii. Hydrogen bonds d. Tertiary structure is responsible for formation of active site for lysozyme, the site responsible for the enzyme catalysis. 5.a. i-D ii-E iii-A iv-B v-C b. i. Glucose ii.a triglycride iii. an amino acid Simple sugar has aldehyde and ketone whereas Triglyceride contains fatty acids and glycerol . Amino acids possess carboxyl and amino groups. c. Uracil is present in RNA whereas Thymine is present in DNA. 6.a. Mitosis and Meiosis. b. Growth= Mitosis Reproduction = Meiosis C During fertilization two cells are combine and forms zygot. Number of chromosome should be maintain 2n and that's why It is necessary for reduce chromosome number to n fro 2n during gamete formation. 7a G1 phase, S or synthesis phase, andG2 phase. b. G1 phase: The first phase within interphase, from the end of the previous M phase till the beginning of DNA synthesis is...The hydrophobic domain consists of one, multiple, or a combination of -helices and sheet protein motifs. Most of the biological molecules are either larger in size or having definite charges on it. Hence The plasma membrane is non permeable to it. lipid bilayer is permeable only to water molecules and a few other small, uncharged, molecules like oxygen (O2) and carbon dioxide (CO2). These diffuse freely in and out of the cell. Passive transport involves carriers, channels, or direct diffusion through a membrane. This type of transport always operates from regions of greater concentration to regions of lesser concentration. No external source of energy is required, thus "passive" whereas in In active transport it is possible to go against the concentration gradient and an external source of energy like ATP is required to move the carrier and its materials thus, "active" G1 phase: The first phase within interphase, from the end of the previous M phase till the beginning of DNA synthesis is called G1 (G indicating gap or growth).

Community Solving Problem Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Community Solving Problem - Research Paper Example Setting this up requires substantial change rooted to a certain law enforcement initiative, which ended up to its major reform programs (The City of New Orleans, 2012; Childress, 2012). This is the reason why The New Orleans Police Department and the United States Department of Justice came up with an agreement dealing with ousting the scandal involving police force prior to improving city’s safety. In addition, according to report this would also include agreement that would deal with â€Å"recruitment and training performance evaluations and promotions, misconduct-complaint issues and work assignments† – all of these have become elemental sources of corruption (Schwartz, 2012). As a respond to this, Schwartz added the New Orleans Police Department embraces the idea of instigating a reporting system in place so as to monitor crime-watching activity for both external and internal operations. In other words, there is a significant move to employ initiative of main taining transparency for the whole department. Unlike any initiatives for law enforcement, the type applied in the case of New Orleans Police Department is a significant move showcasing the importance of both external and internal check up of performance. ... In the first place, there is an issue of credibility and integrity in this case. People would most likely want to look at the right model and it would be something like an irony on their part relying on a law enforcement agency without any sort of credibility. The city of New Orleans has long been waiting for a more reliable law enforcement agency to protect the people’s concerns and welfares. Hearing these people’s needs, the New Orleans Police Department finally did not waste its time to implement necessary change in its entire system. Although this must be complex at some point because it would involve embracing a new system, aligning human resource and vision casting that could guarantee meeting the community’s need, such of this change according to the officials would emancipate solution for destroying the face of corruption in the department’s entire system. This initiative therefore is tantamount to solving some other related problems in the communi ty in the future. This would make sense considering the point the New Orleans Police Department, as a law enforcement agency, should become agent of change, peace and order. Although in the long run, it would not be easy to erase from people’s mind the past performance of the New Orleans Police Department, the challenge would be on the latter to be much more consistent in adhering to its new implemented change. This in the long run would help prove to the people the department’s actual integrity. The development of this integrity is a specific output of initiative that could last in the future. The said initiative for change is going to be a long process, and its impact at present according to the report is promising (Schwartz, 2012). Positive response from the human resource